The present invention relates to a gas turbine engine, and more particularly to a turbofan engine having an axially and radially translating drive ring to provide symmetrical and asymmetrical control of the fan nozzle exit area and the direction of the engine thrust vector.
Conventional gas turbine engines generally include a fan section and a core engine with the fan section having a larger diameter than that of the core engine. The fan section and the core engine are disposed about a longitudinal axis and are enclosed within an engine nacelle assembly.
Combustion gases are discharged from the core engine through a core exhaust nozzle while an annular fan flow, disposed radially outward of the primary airflow path, is discharged through an annular fan exhaust nozzle defined between an outer fan nacelle and an inner core nacelle. A majority of thrust is produced by the pressurized fan air discharged through the fan exhaust nozzle, the remaining thrust being provided from the combustion gases discharged through the core exhaust nozzle.
The fan nozzles of conventional gas turbine engines have a fixed geometry. The fixed geometry fan nozzles are a compromise suitable for take-off and landing conditions as well as for cruise conditions. Some gas turbine engines have implemented fan variable area nozzles. The fan variable area nozzles provide a smaller fan exit nozzle area during cruise conditions and a larger fan exit nozzle area during take-off and landing conditions. Existing fan variable area nozzles typically utilize relatively complex mechanisms that increase overall engine weight to the extent that the increased fuel efficiency therefrom may be negated. The direction of the fan discharge air is also generally rearward and provides no vectoring capability.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an effective, lightweight fan variable area nozzle with thrust vectoring capability for a gas turbine engine.